


you know, you know, this could be beautiful

by TheSpaceCoyote



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Armitage Hux Has Feelings, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, M/M, Pining, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Pre-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Set right after the SW Adventures 30 comic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 16:21:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22498987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSpaceCoyote/pseuds/TheSpaceCoyote
Summary: Things change after Vendaxa, though perhaps not enough.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Comments: 13
Kudos: 147





	you know, you know, this could be beautiful

**Author's Note:**

> Still working through a low-confidence rut. I don't know if this is good, it's not even really closely proofread, I just wanted to publish something else before January ended, and the comic gave me an interesting relationship angle with these two to play with. Enjoy.

Before the shuttle trip back from Vendaxa, Hux had never kissed anybody before. 

He’s not quite sure what came over him, what convinced him it was a good idea to make a move like _that_ on Ren. Perhaps he was still delirious from the adrenaline of their encounter with the acklay; or perhaps even the smallest, nigh insignificant acknowledgment by Ren of his worth as a general and potential right hand had led him to believe it was wise, and not suicidal, to attempt such a thing. 

It’s over abruptly—Hux doesn’t quite know what he’s doing, what exactly a kiss entails apart from what he’s picked up on from holo-dramas and observances of the more amorous people around him, and Ren doesn’t stay still long enough for the kiss to slip past a mere chaste brush of lips. Hux recoils with a gasp, full weight of what he had done suddenly knocking the wind out of him. He puts up his hands and takes a step back, studying Ren’s expression as it fluctuates between confused and unreadable, expecting him to snatch the last bit of strained air from Hux’s lungs as punishment for his insult, his assumption that things had changed between them _that_ much, to allow such an intimate breach of conduct and the usual respectful fear that had lingered between them since Crait. 

“I’m sorry.” The apology leaps off Hux’s tongue quickly, with the hope that it might mollify Ren and cut off his no-doubt growing anger before it reached a dangerous boiling point. Hux curls his lower lip inward, cursing himself. He’d managed to scrape maybe a bit of Ren’s respect, proven his loyalty both to the First Order _and_ to its capricious new leader, only for it to be dashed to bits the moment he gave into an emotional whim that should have stayed buried and easy to deny.

Ren’s expression has settled back onto inscrutable, dark eyes flat as the surface of a deceptively placid, fathomless ocean. He doesn’t even blink as he responds to Hux in a low, even tone. 

“Will that be all, general?”

Shame overwhelms Hux, and he barely musters a nod, any further words in his defense stuck in his throat as Ren sweeps past him on the way to the cockpit. No acknowledgment of Hux’s foolish kiss is made for the duration of the shuttle trip. 

* * *

Hux tries to put the whole Vendaxa incident out of his mind after that. It’s not too hard, what with the Resistance redoubling their efforts to push back against the Order’s encroaching might. It’s still pathetic, the way they struggle like an insect fallen into a glass of water, but Hux has learned his lesson not to underestimate them. Better to crush them between his fingers while they’re still small and strained, then give them time to regroup and accrue support from those factions in the galaxy that may still have allegiance to them beneath a defensive feign of neutrality. 

Currently, the _Finalizer_ was occupied in the Outer Rim, stationed in orbit around Batuu. Hux knew little of the planet apart from its abundant natural population of Tarine tea plants, and the fact that the Resistance was desperately trying to establish itself in one of the area’s sparse outposts, making friends with scummy smugglers and the like in the process. Usually, exposing Resistance spies amongst a population already filled with degenerates would be low on Hux’s list of priorities, but Ren had insisted upon addressing the potential unrest on Batuu himself—and thus, Hux had followed. Though he had tried to forget the _unpleasantness_ that had occurred on Vendaxa, he still believed what he’d said to be correct—that he and Ren served the Order far better as a team than they did when they went for each other’s throats. 

That doesn’t mean they have to remain joined at the hip, however. Considering his distaste for planet-side missions and the filth and chaos they often bring, Hux has been ordered to remain aboard the _Finalizer_ , while Ren takes a small detachment of soldiers down to Batuu in order to uncover any Resistance sympathizers hiding in the dingy cantinas and marketplace stalls. 

He stands in the main hangar now, watching the technicians refuel Ren’s shuttle for the descent. The familiar, upturned wings strike something almost nostalgic in Hux’s heart, which he tries to tamp down when he notices Ren entering the hangar, helmet on, flanked by a quartet of elite trooper guards. 

“General Hux.” Ren greets him first, as is customary. Hux stands to attention, hands folded behind his back. 

“Supreme Leader,” he responds in kind, keeping his voice even though his heart flutters in Ren’s presence, as it had in their every encounter recently. “The shuttle has been repaired of the previous damages and is prepared for departure. I trust you will be on your way, then?”

“Yes. I leave the _Finalizer_ in your hands. Prove them capable.”

“Of course, sir.” Hux licks his dry lips, and before he can stop himself, more slips out just as Ren strides by him. “You can count on me to keep her safe, just as I kept you safe on Vendaxa.”

Ren halts and turns towards him. Hux’s breath stills in his throat—neither of them had made reference to the “loyalty test” incident in the past few weeks, no less in front of a group of their subordinates. Hux panics inwardly, wondering if he had just broken all of the tenuous trust that he managed to build between himself and the Supreme Leader since then, utterly ruined his own plan to bring them together in understanding and camaraderie both for their sakes, and the sake of the entire First Order.

Hux flinches as Ren raises his hand, expecting an invisible vise to close around his throat, to choke any remaining hope that they could work together as partners—but it doesn’t come. Instead, all the personnel around them still and stiffen, as if their bones had suddenly been replaced with durasteel rods. The troopers accompanying Ren, the technicians tending to the refueling, the auxiliary pilot descending from the gangplank to do a last-minute check of the shuttle’s systems—all of them freeze in place and turn their backs to the pair, leaving Hux flustered and perplexed. 

“Supreme Leader,” Hux starts with a stutter, watching as Ren pulls his helmet off with a flourish. Whatever Hux had to say next falters in his throat as Ren’s outstretched hand reaches towards him, grabbing at the side of Hux’s face and pulling him in with rough desire. 

And before Hux can quite grasp what’s going on, Ren presses their lips together. 

This kiss feels far different than the one Hux had chanced back on the shuttle. Ren’s forceful, with none of Hux’s hesitation. It feels both planned and spontaneous, like Ren had practiced this many times before in his mind but couldn’t control his own passion and burning hunger now that he’d breached the gap and allowed the floodgates to rush open. The tips of his fingers dig into the side of Hux’s face, pressing into his cheekbones as his other arm—with its hand still clutching the helmet—goes around Hux’s waist to pull him flush to Ren’s front, with all the lewd histrionics of the cover of a romantic holo-drama. Hux raises a hand to place it against Ren’s chest, if only because he fears that if there isn’t _something_ between his and Ren’s hammering hearts, he will be completely overwhelmed and subsumed by him. 

Hux floats, the sleek floor beneath his boots melting away, along with the rest of the hangar and the immobilized personnel. His brain hums with both confusion and want, half-convinced this couldn’t be anything more than a dream, something he concocted to comfort himself through the realization Ren would never return his more overt, foolish feelings. And yet the smothering press of Ren’s warm, plump lips, the devouring edges to his teeth as he deepens the connection between their mouths—it’s all stunningly real, so far beyond anything Hux could’ve conjured up even in his wildest, most inconceivable of fantasies. 

When they part, Hux takes a moment to just remember how to breathe, unsure of how to respond or what else to do other than stare through the skin of Ren’s speckled face, unable to focus on much of anything other than the memory of those forceful lips consuming him, _wanting_ him. 

“I’ll repay you for all this.”

Hux blinks back into reality at the hoarse whisper of Ren’s voice. “What was that?” he asks, his own voice wavery. 

Ren strokes Hux’s chin with slow regard, leather fingertip smoothing over the plush, quivery flesh that softened it. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed," he murmurs. "After the war is over. I’ll repay you for your loyalty, and then some. A hundred times over, if I must. I promise.”

Hux stands stock still, letting the implication of the words set in, summoning pink to his typically pale and steadfast cheeks. He's not sure whether to believe it, any of it. After all, Ren is a madman who has spent his entire life chasing ghosts. He led his own father into a trap of sweet lies, only to kill him. Common sense tells Hux it's unwise to trust him.

But perhaps things are finally changing. Perhaps now, after all this time, Ren would see reason—see a future with Hux in it. A future they could both share, one they could even sculpt and shape together. 

Hux can't stop his smile as he nods. “I’m going to hold you to that, Supreme Leader,” he says, leaning in for another quick press to Ren’s lips, which immediately deepens. Hux melts once again, letting out a needy groan into Ren’s mouth. 

He can't help his enthusiasm. After all, for the first time in almost a year, he finds himself looking forward to what tomorrow will bring.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are appreciated. Here's to a more fruitful and productive February. 
> 
> Hit me up on [Tumblr](http://thethespacecoyote.tumblr.com) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/heir_of_breath7/).


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